With his win at the Bridgestone Invitational, Rory McIlroy is back atop the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time since 2012

It didn’t take long for Rory McIlroy to follow up his first PGA Tour win since 2012 with another. After claiming the Open Championship just two weeks ago, McIlroy once again bested Sergio Garcia by two shots to claim the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. With the win, McIlroy reclaims the World #1 ranking, and becomes the highest scoring SSF player of 2014. It wasn’t just McIlroy who had a good week though. The league racked up nearly 1000 points this week, as all but three of the top 25 players were owned. With Beast’s team failing to muster much of anything this week, Daniel, Brent, and James all gained ground on the leader, who’s lead has dwindled to just 20 points. Let’s take a look at the team-by-team breakdown.

After what can only be described as a pitiful start to the season, James’ team has bounced back in the last few weeks with a pair of wins and nearly 600 points. With 350 of those points coming courtesy of McIlroy and another 135 from Rickie Fowler, James’ problems with depth are still there. Phil Mickelson has yet to card a top ten this SEASON, but his T15 this week was his eighth top 20. Henrik Stenson’s managed a top 25, but his stellar form from 2013 has been MIA this year, and he isn’t making enough starts to really contribute much. Webb Simpson has also been somewhat of a disappointment, scoring 10 points this week to bring him up to just 200 for the year. After a pair of exceptional weeks, James finds himself back in the hunt for at least a podium spot, but his team will need to keep up their torrid pace if he wants to become a four time Champion.

With four top tens this week, Brent couldn’t help but smile

It was about this time last year that Brent absolutely went off on the league, racking up 960 points in the final six weeks, to claim his first SSF title. This year he may have started the charge a week early. A third place finish from the surprisingly underrated Mark Leishman, top fives from Charl Schwartzel and Patrick Reed, and a top ten from Adam Scott contributed the bulk of Brent’s massive 215 point week. He’s less than 200 points back of first place, and riding a wave of momentum that started three weeks ago at the Open Championship. If he can come up with a win or two in the SSF playoffs, Beast better watch out.

Despite having now set the record for most 0-point weeks, it’s been a wildly successful rookie campaign for Daniel. Though Lee Westwood has struggled, first overall pick Sergio Garcia has more than picked up the slack, averaging 42 points a week, second only to McIlroy. It becomes more amazing when you realize that he has done so without a win. His second place finish this week was his third straight runner-up, and sixth top five this year. Justin Rose added to his successful campaign with a top five finish, and Ryan Moore tread water to remain in the top ten. Daniel gained big on Beast this week, and sits a mere 20 points back of the leader.

After Martin Kaymer’s big win at the U.S. Open, Lawrence appeared poised to make a charge up the leaderboard, however limited rosters the next four weeks killed his momentum and he still finds himself in the basement. There is hope though, as Fuchs has stopped submitting rosters, and Bryce’s team is enveloped in controversy. Keegan Bradley appears to have recovered from his poor start to the year, recording a top five this week, while Graeme McDowell has been on fire recently, recording his third straight top ten. A position on the podium sadly appears out of reach for Lare-bear, and so he will begin the rebuilding process for next year.

After gaining pulling away from everyone with 105 points at the Canadian Open, Beast fell back down to earth this week, managing just 70 points, and losing ground to the other three contenders. Matt Kuchar and Jim Furyk couldn’t turn their top 15’s into top tens, and Jordan Spieth continued his slump with just a top 50. Jason Day hasn’t been the same since his thumb injury early in the year, and he was forced to withdraw once again this week. Beast is still the team to beat, but with just one win from Kuchar, Furyk, and Spieth, one has to wonder if he can keep counting on wins from his depth players.

Ever since Fuchs stopped submitting rosters, his team has become pretty stagnant. This week was another disappointing one, with just one top 15 from Hunter Mahan. He’s quickly tumbling down the leaderboard and could find himself passed by his arch-nemesis Lawrence if he doesn’t makes something happen soon.

If there’s a better example of bad things happening to good people than Bryce’s team, I have yet to see it. The league’s least controversial member finds himself embroiled in controversy this week, as Tiger’s back is injured once again, and Dustin Johnson is forced to deny allegations that he’s been suspended for cocaine use! Though Bryce has yet to comment on the allegations, he must be incredibly disappointed in his two golden geese. After a mere 35 points, Bryce is just 45 points ahead of last place, and he hasn’t topped 100 points since the beginning of March. If there’s one thing that Bryce has going for him, it’s that he still has three Konkel Explosions which he can hopefully move for some draft picks. Either way it’s going to be an uphill climb to get back on the podium next year.

Two months after dumping Caroline Wozniacki, Rory McIlroy had plenty to kiss after winning the Claret Jug

For the second major in a row, there was very little doubt on Sunday of who would come out victorious. After Martin Kaymer cruised to an 8-shot victory and Pinehurst a month ago, Rory McIlroy picked up a wire to wire win at Royal Liverpool to crowned the Champion Golfer of the Year. McIlroy only shot a one-under 71 on Sunday, but after opening the weekend with matching 66’s he was able to withstand formidable charges from Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia to win his third major in the last 14 grand slam events. McIlroy’s win also made for some changes in the standings, but only at the bottom. Let’s take a look at the week that was.

McIlroy’s win lifted James to his Spreadsheet Fantasy leading sixth major championship in league history. The second most is major wins by an owner is two (Lawrence, and the now extinct Dave). But this week James set another grand slam mark for the league, becoming the first player to own the first AND second place finisher in a major. McIlroy’s play has already been documented, but Rickie Fowler continued his breakout year, and if not for a tough end to his round Saturday, it very well could have been the Orange Crush who came out on top. Fowler has now finished in the top 5 at all three majors, and his 385 points on the season will likely give James no choice but to keep him – although he’s probably not upset about that. James also got nice garbage point contributions from Phil Mickelson (top 25), Henrik Stenson and King Louis Oosthuizen (top 50’s) to help him pick up the highest one week total in the league this year.

Marc Leishman was all smiles after a final round 65 put him into the top 5

Brent’s team has had a tough time making up ground on the big boys this year, but he was able to make inroads on the top two spots this week thanks to a great Sunday. Marc Leishman, Adam Scott, and Charl Schwartzel shot 65, 66, and 67 respectively to all move into the top 10, with the two Aussies carding top 5’s. Zach Johnson followed up last weekend’s runner up finish at the John Deere Classic with a top 50 performance. The 195 Brent scored still leave him about 250 back of first, but this weekend showed he has the depth to make a charge. He will need to start pickup wins though, to have a hope.

Beast’s team just keeps on churning up big weeks, and it seems to be a different person every week. Matt Kuchar has been a picture of consistency – again- this year, and who could have predicted Angel Cabrera winning the Greenbrier on the Fourth of July weekend. This time around, it was the wily veteran Jim Furyk who came through for Long John, carding a 66 Sunday to finish in a tie for fourth and score 65 points. The big surprise – and there have been lots of pleasant ones for this team in 2014 – was previous castaway Victor Dubuisson who made Beast very proud by carding a top ten, after a mulligan was placed on him following Friday’s play. Angel Cabrera had a good weekend to score 25 points giving beast a nice 140-burger.

Doerksen is proving to be like that pesky zit that Beast had while he was going after his bride to be. Just when Beast thought he had it under control, it would come back with a vengeance. Beast scored a big 140, but Daniel was right there with 135, meaning Doersken is still just 35 points behind. Sergio Garcia continued his consistent season with a nice second place finish. After that it was a pretty disappointing week with only Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Rose hitting the scoresheet, as the rookie manager benched 35 big ones from Ryan Moore. But when all is said and done, Doerksen is right where he wants to be with 8 weeks to go, right in Beast’s blind spot in the rear view mirror. He better be careful though, because we all know Beast eventually conquered that nasty zit to get the girl of his dreams. He wants to do the same with this League.

It’s time for Lawrence to part ways with The Mechanic

There was a big drop off from fourth to fifth in weekly points, as we go to the bottom of the aggregate standings to find Lawrence who finished with 75. A back four hole charge by Graeme McDowell lifted him to a back door top ten, while Keegan Bradley managed to score 25 points. After that it was a tough week, with zeroes coming from Kaymer, Dufner, and Jimenez. As much as Lawrence may not want to hear it, it’s time to give up on the Miguel train. As amicable of a player he may be, only recording points in three starts is not getting it done, especially for a player who was kept. If Lawrence wants to start being a factor in this league, he’s going to have to rid himself of the Spaniard.

Bryce has gone from the top of the standings in February, all the way to the second last spot, after just scoring 50 points this week. All fifty were thanks to Dustin Johnson who got a top ten. With Tiger not his game, Bryce just doesn’t have the firepower to compete right now. Bryce is now the only team without a win, and there is a very infamous stat looming. Double B has now gone 34 weeks without a win, just two shy of the all-time winless record of 36 weeks. He will need to make things happen either in Quebec or Ohio to avoid the dubious distinction of longest winless streak.

And then there was Fuchs. The little guy seems to have fallen out of favour with the league by leaving the Facebook conversation, although with the play of his team, maybe we shouldn’t blame him. Fuchs hasn’t scored more than 30 points in a week since the US Open, and has gone from contender to pretender. Only Jimmy Walker and Hunter Mahan were able to crack the top 50, dropping Andrew to fifth place in the overall standings.

One of my favourite weeks is coming up. The prestigious RBC Canadian Open.

Martin Kaymer lapped the field, capturing the U.S. Open by a record-tying 8 strokes

OK folks….not sure how I got finagled (my new word of the day)by my dear son into writing the U.S. Open at Pinehurst #2 golf wrap-up, but here it goes.

Who is this Kaymer guy and where did he come from? He obviously deserved the win with -9 scorecard as he dominated the leaderboard all week. Kaymer played great golf and led from day one. I didn’t see anything I didn’t like about him – so kudos to Martin Kaymer on his great win. Nice Father’s Day gift to him – as was his Mother’s Day gift with his Player’s Championship win last month.A rare achievement in golfland.

Erik Compton showed he has what it takes to compete at the highest level, finishing T2 with Rickie Fowler

The real story of the tourney was WHO would place second. There were many golfers in contention and they see-sawed all week as they battled for the coveted second place. In the end, there were two respected golfers that won the fight with a tie. The brightly orange-clad young Rickie Fowler ended with a -1, which was 8 strokes behind the winner. Tied with Rickie was the heroic -1 finish for Erik Compton. What a highlight to watch this man, who has beat all odds to survive two heart transplants, and still be able to golf with the best in the world. The best part of his win and follow-up interview was the shock and delight he expressed when he was told by the interviewer that he could now play in the Masters Tournament. That was the icing on the cake for Erik.

Honourable Mention must go to Keegan Bradley for his 19 place comeback on Sunday to end in a tie for fourth place.

I wish I could expound on my personal favourites in golf – namely Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson (no laughing allowed), but they will have to wait for a future tournament to show what they’re made of.

Thank you for your patience in reading this old mom’s review of the great U.S. Open 2014!

Hideki Matsuyama won his first PGA Tour tournament on Sunday in a playoff over Kevin Na

It certainly wasn’t the most conventional ending to a PGA Tour tournament, but Sunday’s final round at the Memorial was one for the ages. After looking like a lock to take the trophy, Bubba Watson complete collapsed, bogeying 14 and shanking his tee shot into someone’s backyard before doubling 15, essentially taking him out of contention. After his win last week, Adam Scott looked primed to make it two in a row, but a string of three consecutive bogeys, including a horribly unlucky bounce off a flag stick ended his chances as well. Playing in the second to last group, Matsuyama looked in control of the tournament with everyone else fading, but a poor tee-shot on 16 found the water and he double bogeyed the par three. Still reeling from the double bogey, he failed to par the 17th as well, leaving him one back of the lead. Having teed off some two hours earlier, Kevin Na posted a scorching round of 8-under par, a round that he thought would be good for a top five. However after Matsuyama’s bogey on 17, Na found himself alone in the lead. Needing a birdie on 18 to match Na, Matsuyama immediately smashed his driver after what he thought was a bad shot, however the ball managed to find the fairway. An incredibly clutch second shot left him five feet for birdie and a playoff. After checking the break, Matsuyama drained the putt, becoming the only player ever to birdie the 18th at Muirfield Village in all four rounds. Sadly the playoff did not hold as much drama as the final round, as Na found the creek off the tee and never really recovered. A solid up and down from Matsuyama was good enough to take home the trophy and earn a handshake from the great Jack Nicklaus. Now lets take a look at how it played out in the Spreadsheet Fantasy realm.

As Rory McIlroy well knows, it can be tough to manage a career and a relationship, however it doesn’t appear like the married life has taken any toll on Daniel’s fantasy production. One week after tying the knot, Daniel’s team put up a monster 185 points, thanks to the efforts of Matsuyama and Watson. In addition to Matsuyama’s 125 and Bubba’s 50, Ryan Moore chipped in ten points of his own. Daniel now leads the league in every statistical category and finds himself alone in first place. Bubba Watson’s ridiculous season total of 560 points is more than 150 ahead of the next best player, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Just one win. That’s all James was asking for, but he’ll have to wait at least another week for that illusive first triumph. While Kevin Na’s second place finish is good news for fans of James’ squad, Rory McIlroy’s second round collapse en route to a T15, and Phil Mickelson’s (T49) apparent legal troubles are cause for concern. The three-time league champion has never finished worse than third, so sitting in sixth place right now is uncharted territory, and his team will need to go on one heck of a hot streak for him to even start considering a podium finish.

After Adam Scott’s first win of the season last week, Brent had another good finish at the Memorial. Scott continued his hot streak with a top five finish, while Charl Schwartzel, who’s been sneaky consistent this year, held on to a top ten finish. Luke Donald, K.J. Choi and Mark Leishman all finished in the top fifty, as Brent continued to chug along in third place. Last year’s champ has had very few bad weeks this year, running arguably the most consistent team so far this season.

With Tiger sidelined since week nine, it’s been a bit of a rough season for Bryce’s team. It’s been quite a while since any of his players really came close to winning, and while his scores the last few weeks have been respectable, it feels as though his team is treading water right now. His main breadwinners this week were Chris Kirk and Bill Haas, who’s final round 68’s boosted them up to the top five and ten respectively. Dustin Johnson managed to crack the top fifty, but continued what has been a very disappointing season by his standards. Bryce finds himself stuck in the no man’s land between 4th and 6th and with the way the season is playing out, he could be there for a while.

It’s hard to imagine a team who’s keepers tee it up more than Beast’s, yet he was dethroned this week as he could only post a measly 45 points. Matt Kuchar managed to crack the top fifteen, while Jordan Spieth and Jim Furyk fell just one stroke short, settling for top 25’s. In his first action since the Masters, Jason Day looked good until a final round 74 dropped him into a tie for 37th. Don’t be surprised if Beast takes back the top spot within a couple of weeks, as his squad has historically performed well in the Majors.

It’s tough to get a read on Lawrence’s team. While Miguel Angel Jimenez has performed well so far this season, he’s only played three times. Combine that with the relatively light schedules of Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell and you get a team that doesn’t really see it’s top players tee it up that often. After Jason Dufner racked up his teams only points last week with a second place finish, it was a little more evenly distributed this time around. Both Dufner and Ernie Els cracked the top 25, while Keegan Bradley continued his disappointing 2014 campaign with just a top 50. Kaymer’s win a few weeks ago has him much closer to sixth place than James is comfortable with, but with many of his players struggling, it will be tough for Lawrence to take the next step.

We’ve seen it time and again. Fuchs’ squad starts the season strong, but begins to stumble once mid-season rolls around. This week he failed to submit a roster, costing him a valuable 30 points from Steve Stricker. His only horse this week was Billy Horschel, who tried to make up for it with a top 15 finish, but Fuchs is dropping further away from that top three, and closer to Bryce in fifth place.

That’s the wrap up for this week, Gents. Hope you enjoyed! Next week is the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

It may not have had the entertainment factor of the last few Masters Tournaments, but Sunday’s final round showed that Bubba Watson is just as deserving a champion in 2014 as he was in 2012. Playing partner Jordan Spieth came out of the gates firing, with birdies on four of the first seven holes, but Watson was able to keep pace with birdies of his own on the third and sixth holes. When Spieth began to falter with bogies on eight and nine, Watson pounced. Two birdies later he found himself with a two shot lead and he never faltered. After three straight pars, a two putt birdie after a monster tee shot at 13 put him ahead by three and he never looked back, making par on the final five holes for a three shot victory over Spieth and Jonas Blixt. Feisty Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez followed up his tournament-best 66 on Saturday with a 71 on Sunday to finish alone in fourth place. It was a tough day for Matt Kuchar, as one of the favorites coming into Sunday’s round, Kuchar shot a final round 74 punctuated by bogeys on 17 and 18 to drop him into a tie for fifth with Rickie Fowler. Let’s recap the 2014 Masters Tournament.

For the second time in three years, Bubba Watson gave an owner their first Major Championship win. First it was Dave in 2012, now Daniel. After an up and down start to the season, which had seen Daniel register five weeks of more than 100 points but three weeks with 0, the monster week at the Masters vaulted Daniel into first place in the Spreadsheet Fantasy standings. Lee Westwood is in the mix nearly every Major Championship, and it was no different this week as he finished alone in seventh after being unable to muster any charge on Sunday. Aussie John Senden was mulligan’d in on Friday night and was in the final pairing on Saturday, but never recovered from a third round 75 and ended up T8. Justin Rose recovered from a horrendous opening round 76 to post a top 15, as Daniel carded 335 points this week and now sits in first place.

Both Matt Kuchar and Beast continue to search for their first Major Championship win

Going into Sunday’s final round, Beast was in prime position for a monster week. Even though a Konkel’d Jason Day was struggling, Beast had three guys in the top ten, including Spieth tied for first and Kuchar just one back. He was desperately hoping this would be his breakthrough Major Championship, but no one could muster any kind of charge to challenge Bubba. Furyk dropped out of the top ten with a final round 75, but managed to hang around in the top fifteen, while Kuchar’s 74 dropped him from third into a tie for fifth. Spieth faltered midway through his round, and failed to make up any ground on the back nine, finishing in a tie as the runner-up. Despite shooting even par on the final round, Day managed to move up the leaderboard into the top 25, scoring a respectable 25 points. A wasted mulligan on Russell Henley netted Beast just 15 points, but with a total of 260 this week and sitting just 15 back of first, Beast won’t be complaining.

It’s about time something went right for James’ team this year. Eclipsing 100 points just once prior to this week, James was wallowing near the bottom of the standings, as his team has under performed badly so far. Burning two Konkels this week in a desperate attempt to get back into contention, things turned out reasonably well for the three time champion. Although three time winner and Konkel recipient Phil Mickelson missed the cut by one, James still managed to score in excess of 200 points. Rory McIlroy was haunted by a poor second round, but made the cut on the number and came back with a strong weekend to vault into the top ten, while Rickie Fowler shot a third round 67 and hung around on Sunday to finish T5. A mulligan on Louis Oosthuizen brought in 25 points, and Henrik Stenson was never in contention, but shot 70 on Sunday to jump into the top 15. The 225 point week was much needed for James, and he sits just 300 back of first place.

It looked like it would be a lost week for Fuchs, as none of his players were ever in contention, but a final round 70 from Jimmy Walker allowed him to jump into the top ten. Given Walker’s excellent start to the season, Fuchs elected to spend a Konkel on him, and it was not wasted. Brandt Snedeker and Hunter Mahan both made the cut, but neither could crack the top 25, earning 15 points a piece. Last week’s winner Matt Jones failed to make the cut in his debut at Augusta, as did Matt Every, both finishing well outside the cut line. Daniel leapfrogged Fuchs, but Fuchs passed Brent, so Fuchs remains in second place, just five points behind Daniel, but only ten points ahead of Beast.

Miguel Angel Jimenez leads Lawrence’s squad as they look for their first podium finish

Given Lawrence’s level of excitement over the undeniable success of one Miguel Angel Jimenez, you’d think he had a monster week. Sadly that was not the case for Lair-bear. It was a disappointing week for the third year pro, as he could muster just 90 points. He’ll undoubtedly be celebrating Miguel Angel’s Saturday charge and steady play on Sunday, but come Monday morning, a look at the standings will be a sobering reminder that he still has a ways to go. Surprisingly, Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner both missed the cut, despite both being considered favorites to contend this week. Past U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell also missed the cut, despite coming into the week in good form. The only other positive note was Ian Poulter, who managed to hang on to a top 25 despite a final round 74. Lawrence will need to rely on more than just Jimenez if he hopes to get out of the basement and make it to the podium for the first time.

This week held a lot of promise for Brent, as he entered the tournament with three former Masters champions, all in reasonably good form so far this season. In the end only Adam Scott would contribute, as Brent’s other four starters each missed the cut. Just one year ago, Brent put up a monstrous 465 points in the season’s opening Major. This year he scored just 70. His Konkel on Scott brought in his 70 points as late bogeys from the Aussie dropped him out of the top ten. Zach Johnson, Luke Donald, Charl Schwartzel and ‘top five player’ Patrick Reed all failed to play the weekend. Given his success early in the season, and the fact that he still sits a mere 45 points out of first, there’s no need for panic on Brent’s squad. However, word on the street is he’s looking to shake things up with a little wheelin’ and dealin’.

Finally we come to Bryce. Without Tiger teeing it up, it seems as though his team has lost all their mojo. Bill Haas started hot with a Thursday 68 that found him alone in the lead after the first round, but the pressure got to him and a second round 78 took him out of contention. He was able to salvage a top 25 with a final round 70, and traded places with Gary Woodland who’s 76 dropped him out of the top 25. Dustin Johnson started the season like a house on fire, but missed the cut this week after his opening 77 put him out of position. Harris English and Graeme Delaet were both making their first starts at Augusta, and neither could figure out the course, as they missed the cut as well. 40 points in a Major is a hard pill to swallow, and with Tiger’s return after surgery unknown, this could be the start of a miserable stretch for Bryce’s team. Eldrick will be receiving plenty of ‘get well soon’ cards in the coming weeks, return addressed to Morden.

I hope you all enjoyed the 2014 Masters tournament. As always it’s one of the most special times of the year, and it certainly shook up the Spreadsheet Fantasy leaderboard. In both 2010 and 2013, the winner of the Masters went on to win the Richard J. Osicki Memorial Trophy, which bodes well for Daniel to become the first rookie winner since James in 2010.

The year was 2010. After finding out that Yahoo fantasy golf was little to no fun, James and Brent decided to create their own fantasy golf league. The result was a league where the result at the end of the tournament is what matters most. 4+ years later we find ourselves on the eve of our fifth Masters tournament, a tournament which, though early in the season, has defined the league over the first four years. It’s no secret that the Masters means a lot in the Spreadsheet Fantasy realm. As one of the four Major tournaments, it’s worth the most points, so naturally it has a lot to do with the outcome of the season. But did you know that through the first four seasons, the manager with the best score at the Masters has never finished lower than second? Success at the Masters can be an incredible kick-starter for both players and teams. Here’s how the first four years of Spreadsheet Fantasy at the Masters have played out.

Phil Mickelson’s miraculous shot from the pine straw in the 2010 Masters

2010 – The 2010 Masters saw Phil Mickelson take home the Green Jacket, and deservedly so after a daring 2nd shot from the pine straw on 13. In a moment where it looked like ‘Phil the Thrill’ would once again throw away a Major Championship by going for it when he didn’t need to, he hit a shot only he could hit to within four feet of the pin. He would eventually win by three strokes over Englishman Lee Westwood. Though the rest of his team performed underwhelmingly, the Osicki Explosion that James used on Phil Mickelson helped him to a 465 point week, moving him from dead last to just 25 points behind Brent for first place. The win was just what Mickelson needed to get him in gear, and together with runner-up Lee Westwood (picked up by James after the Masters), he would capture the first Spreadsheet Fantasy Championship.

2011 Masters Champion Charl Scwartzel

2011– Midway through the final round of the 2011 Masters, it looked as though James would be taking home his second straight Masters Championship, with Rory McIlroy confidently leading the tournament. Alas the pressure got to the young McIlroy and he faded down the stretch, bringing a slew of other players into the mix. Jason Day, Adam Scott, Luke Donald, Geoff Ogilvy and Tiger Woods all finished within two shots of each other, but an incredible run of birdies on the final four holes from Charl Schwartzel won him the Green Jacket. Though he was unowned at the time of his win, he was promptly picked up by Fuchs, helping him to a 4th place finish at year’s end. The real winner of the 2011 Masters was Brent, who eclipsed everyone else’s totals, despite benching a 2nd place finish from Scott. Luke Donald, K.J. Choi, and Geoff Ogilvy also finished in the top ten for Brent at the Masters, and those four continued to be the a force for his team, as he would eventually finish second.

Bubba Watson’s incredible shot on the 2nd playoff hole in 2012

2012 – After two seasons in which James was the only Major winner, someone else finally broke through in 2012, as Dave had a monster week at Augusta. With a spectacular leaderboard including the likes of Mickelson, Kuchar, Westwood, Poulter, Scott, and Rose, it was playoff between Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen that would determine the eventual champion. On the second playoff hole, the self-taught Watson hit a phenomenal second shot from the pine straw, through a small gap in the trees, to land on the putting surface. Two putts later he would tap in to claim the Green Jacket as the 2nd Masters Champion in Spreadsheet Fantasy history. Until the 2012 Masters, James’ 465 points at the 2010 tournament was the highest single week total in SSF history, but Dave would shatter that mark, thanks to Osicki Explosions on Lee Westwood’s 3rd place finish, and Justin Rose’s top ten. Throw in Sergio Garcia’s top 15 and Dave wound up with an astounding 525 points, vaulting him up the leaderboard and into first place. He would eventually finish second, nearly 600 points ahead of third place.

2013 Masters Champion Adam Scott

2013 – After watching Adam Scott throw away the British Open eight months earlier, the 2013 Masters looked like it could again spell heartbreak for Brent. After Beast’s hopes were shattered when Jason Day bogeyed 16 and 17, it looked as though Adam Scott was primed for the win. A clutch putt on the 18th hole with rain pouring down conjured a shout and a fist pump from the Aussie as he led by one shot with only 2009 champion Angel Cabrera left in the mix. Joy turned to dread as Cabrera stuck his iron shot from the fairway to within a couple of feet. A few minutes later he tapped in to send it to a playoff. On the second playoff hole, both players found themselves with make-able birdie putts, and after Cabrera’s putt missed just right of the cup, Scott found himself with a birdie putt for the Championship. Unlike 8 months earlier at the British Open, the Aussie’s ball found the bottom of the cup and he raised his arms as the first Australian ever to win the Green Jacket. Like Phil Mickelson in 2010, Adam Scott found himself the beneficiary of a Konkel Explosion last year, earning him a massive four hundred points. After a decent start to the season, Brent’s team kicked into high gear after the Masters, as he would earn three more wins in 2013 and claim his first Spreadsheet Fantasy Championship by more than 500 points.

In addition to being one of the most special and unique traditions in golf, it’s also the first real test of the Spreadsheet Fantasy golf season, and can go a long way towards showing which teams will end up contending for the Richard J. Osicki Memorial Trophy. With Tiger Woods missing this year’s tournament because of injury, the field is wide open, meaning it truly is anyone’s game.